Volunteering is the lifeblood of any community. It is because of volunteers that
communities are able to run organizations, social services, conferences,
playgroups, drop-in centers, feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, open
libraries, run schools, set up blood banks, and the list goes on. Paid employees
only make up a small part of the social services network; without volunteers
such endeavors would come to a standstill.

As Muslims,
our role isn't just to make our salat and fast and pay zakat. We are encouraged
to take on a broader role by working to improve the communities we live in; we
should be visiting the sick, feeding the hungry, teaching people to read,
helping people who have no one to turn to. It is by translating our love of
Allah into good actions that we strengthen our imaan. Islam is a faith of action
and we need to demonstrate our faith by working to make the world a better
place.

In Islam
there is a strong ethic of volunteerism. This does not simply extend to running
study circles or fundraising for the masjid. As Muslims, we see our role as
world citizens. The idea of working for a better society or community shouldn't
be limited to the Muslim community but should extend to the broader non-Muslim
community as well. Because we live in that community too, whatever weaknesses
are present affect us also.

Dawah, the
idea of inviting others to Islam, takes on myriad forms. The obvious one is
educating people specifically about Islam and the principles enshrined therein.
But the less obvious form is through doing good works and setting an example.
This is where volunteerism plays a role.

·As a community, Muslims need to cultivate a culture of
volunteerism. There is a persistent notion that volunteers are essentially free
labour. Their efforts are not appreciated and, indeed, are often criticized. We
need to shift our perception and see that it is because of volunteers that so
many of the services we need are available. Entire mosques have been built
through the efforts of volunteers, conferences are run by volunteers, Eid
prayers are organized by volunteers, schools are run, in large part, by
volunteers, Muslim newspapers and magazines are written for and published by
volunteers, and so on.

·It is also important to note that volunteering should be a
priority. Typically, Muslims see volunteering as something that should be done
when you have nothing else to do. This should not be the case. If people
generally see volunteering as something secondary and less important, the
quality of the effort is greatly diminished. Volunteering must be at least as
important as other pursuits.

Volunteering should be done by professionals. This is not to say that unless you
have a graduate degree in mathematics, you shouldn't help with an after-school
tutoring program. Rather, if you have that graduate degree or are a teacher, you
should be the one who should take the initiative in starting the tutoring
program. Your skills will be invaluable to that program. If all the math tutors
are people who have weak math skills, the effort will be a waste of everyone's
time and resources. Not to mention the students who will continue to fail their
math tests.

It is exceedingly important to avoid volunteer burnout. In every community there
are a core group of volunteers and the Muslim community is no different. We all
know the one Muslim brother or sister who helps out at all the events and is
always working at breakneck speed. This is not fair. It is of no help to leave
all the work to a few frazzled people while the rest sit back and enjoy the
fruits of their labour. The core group eventually burns out. They have other
obligations -- family, work, social activities. When they are worn out and drop
out, the whole community feels their absence.

Volunteering has many benefits. Because of people's willingness to work for
free, many services can be offered at a lower cost or even for free; there is
far more flexibility in the delivery of services since more people are available
to help; volunteering gives individuals a broader sense of community; and people
also feel a greater connection to one another when they are involved in
volunteer activities.

There are also personal benefits for the volunteer. We understand that our
primary motivation for helping others should be our love for Allah but that
doesn't mean we can't benefit from our volunteer activities. Many volunteers
have learned invaluable skills and have made personal contacts that have helped
them in securing employment later on. Also, for students, volunteering is an
excellent way to build up a resume and gain a wide range of experience that can
certainly help when it comes time to apply to college and university.

There are
also some important rules to remember when volunteering:

·No volunteer is to brag about giving his time, effort, energy,
knowledge and memory when he is doing it fee sabeelillah (in the way of
Allah).

·No volunteer should accuse the employees that they are receiving
money from the general budget of the community, while he is doing it for free.

·No volunteer should accept a job or a title for the sake of show,
or else it will become hypocrisy.

·No volunteer should accept a title or a job when he knows that he
is not qualified for the job.

·No volunteer should accept a title, while knowing that he has no
time to volunteer for such a job.